Cartilage, Bone and Flesh, Not Stone
by CampionSayn
Summary: "...Naga befriended a zombie Fire Ferret and brought us to the only nice undead in the entire city..." A late Halloween one-shot. Boleskna, Makorrasami, tiny hinted Nagabu.


Tags: Boleskna_ Makorrasami_ Zombie AU_ double OT3_ Nagabu_  
>Dedication: <strong>Twilight_Shadow_Songs<strong> for actually liking my last Boleskna fic for its lack of sex and **actualiceprincess **on Tumblr requesting all the AU possible for the Boleska ship.

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><p><em>A pound of flesh, no more, no less. No cartilage, no bone, just flesh.<em>  
><em>-Se7en.<em>

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><p>_ 0.<p>

_After everything, they were going to have to thank their situation on Pabu deciding not to infect Naga and Naga trusting the zombie Fire Ferret to lead her and her three charges __**(one female from the Southern Water Tribe, unconscious from taking out a whole hoard of undead an hour after they had entered the abandoned Republic City and over-using her Avatar state to keep her animal guardian and her cousins—probably the only family she had left alive after the plague reached both poles while they were in the Fire Nation on a diplomacy visit—safe from teeth and claws that could turn them or devour them; one female and one male from the Northern Water Tribe that were both freaked out when Naga just stared at the ferret and were promptly ignored when they started whispering orders in her ears) **__somewhere that was safer than out in the open._

_But that's for the end of the plague._

_First Thing's First..._

_1.

The ferret jumped from a high rafter of some buildings that were partially torched from some zombie Firebenders misfiring as they made to eat some uninfected humans during the beginning days of the plague, when the city was still full of panic and not abandoned after months of the living vacating for high mountains and most zombies following their one food source. It was more interested in the fresh meat than in the fact that the animal could probably crush it under her foot before it could sink black stained teeth into white fur, but it became more interested when it became apparent that this animal was quite different entirely from the ones the ferret had been hunting recently.

The Polar Bear-Dog towered innumerable feet above the smaller animal, teeth bared and fur raised on end to block the ferret's path to the two conscious humans that were trying to pick up Naga's Korra so the ferret couldn't bite her. The female cousin, Eska, was pulling out her crystal dagger since they'd run out of water in the skirmish earlier and the male, Desna, tried to position Korra's bulk over his back, her head on his shoulder, arms limp around his neck and legs under his arms in case they had to run away fast.

At first it seemed like it was going to jump and attack, turn Naga into an emotionless shell of what she used to be, but it hesitated,ears splayed outwards and almost empty eyes just looking at the three of them.

Then it stood on only its hind legs and sniffed Naga, the ferret's mange riddled tail patting the ground twice and then winding around its legs. It gave a noise that was almost curious and moved two steps closer to Naga's snout... closer... closer...

Its front paw tapped Naga's nose and then it pulled back, smelling it's own appendage, contemplative and non-aggressive.

Naga lost her guarded stance, fur going flat and her head tilting starboard, and one ear perked up. She snorted at the dirt the ferret left on her nose, which caused the twins to jump, but not run.

The tiny zombie animal seemed to come to a decision when it was done smelling Naga's scent and squeaked up at the beast.

Naga took a moment, but gave a small grumble, like she did often when Korra jabbered on and on while brushing Naga's pelt and the ferret blinked twice before tapping Naga on the nose again and then walking slowly for an alley, face still looking at Naga and giving the dog another squeak.

"Naga, come on—what are you do-?!" Eska started out grabbing at Naga's reins, but was interrupted by the dog bending to scoop the twins and Korra up in her mouth, depositing them all into the saddle on her back and trotting after the ferret.

Both twins had never spoken so many vulgar words in their lives on the hour long trip of following the zombie pet through the city, avoiding three small clusters of hunting zombie humans and a few mongoose-dogs that were loose, looking for a living human or animal respectively.

_2.

Naga's group consisted of three females and one male, which included Naga by default. The Fire Ferret Pabu's _(there were tags sitting out on a table in the middle of the large building the animal had taken the Polar Bear-Dog and the others to; the building perhaps once an arena with a set of living quarters in the attic and the tags labeled with the name of the tiny zombie that its humans never got the chance to adorn his neck with)_ group consisted of himself, two other males and a female.

His group consisted of zombies entirely, but when they came around and found three people and a massive beast in the area that had once been for training and relaxing between matches_(padding was nailed to the floor and there were pillows in the far corners bigger than both the twins combined)_ the one that came in first—Pabu's owner, probably, considering how the tiny zombie climbed onto his shoulders and pointed out the living people to him with squeaks and nuzzling his nose into a white, filthy neck—just looked at the twins and the unconscious Avatar, blinked, tilted his head and made his way to another room, stuffing his blood crusted fingers and fists into the pockets of what was probably once his green jacket, but now looked mostly black and brown from him eating whatever crossed his path.

He came back a few minutes later, shuffling and slowly maneuvering around holes in the floor that looked like the result of a bomb going off and with a fabric grocery sack in one hand that made clanking noises with each step he took.

When he was within three feet of the twins, Eska had pulled out her dagger again, "Don't you do anything. Stay back."

Green eyes rimmed with grey and black from being infected blinked, and his rigid knees bent so he was squatting before them.

It looked like he tried to wave the sack in front of him peacefully, but it slipped from his not-very-solid grip and dropped to the ground in front of him. Four cans of food rolled out onto the floor , a couple with little dents in them, but still intact.

He bent a little further over, one hand braced to the floor so his knees wouldn't buckle and make him fall down on his undead ass, and prodded the biggest can over to Eska. Some of the paper covering with the name and brand had been worn away by what looked like water damage, but an image of a Snow Peach was still visible.

Eska didn't move toward it, but her grip on the dagger loosened a little when the zombie gave her a smile that was less scary than other zombies that had only ever shown enjoyment when they were eating a screaming victim. Desna hesitantly picked up the can and mumbled a quiet, "Thank you," before taking the dagger from Eska and breaking through the top of the can.

Some of the juice spilled onto the boy twin's hands, but Desna did little more than lick it off on his own as the hole in the can was as big as it could get and he handed a piece of the fruit to his sister.

The friendly zombie still smiled and let the Fire Ferret settle in his lap as the twins ate.

_3.

The male and female zombie that also lived with the big friendly one that gave Eska and Desna food came around after dark. The female carrying another moth eaten linen bag full of canned food and the male with a dead Tiger-Mule hefted over his shoulder. The animal's head was nothing but a charred black space, so the twins quickly ascertained that the other male zombie was a Firebender with moderate control of his element.

They seemed a little curious that living people had taken up residence in the building while they were out hunting and foraging, but when the friendly zombie that the Fire Ferret (the living group would later learn) preferred over the others picked up the empty fruit can and smiled again, the female zombie tilted her head, but eventually smiled a little at the twins and then at their sleeping cousin and the Firebender seemed to give the other male an exasperated growl, but just moved further into the building dropped the dead animal in what appeared to be a tiled room once used to shower in, but was now used to keep meat and fresh fruit from spoiling.

When Korra woke up five hours later to the sounds of all four zombies eating the Tiger-Mule with their sharp teeth and claws tearing at the flesh and bone, her first instinct was to light her hand on fire and aim at the lot, but was stopped by Naga tenderly lifting up from her supine place on the floor and placing herself between Korra and the zombies. She even patted the Avatar on the head with her massive front paw.

"Uh, Naga, could you move please? Trying to save our lives-"

"Be calm, cousin."

Korra looked around Naga's large digits to find Desna walking around the zombies carrying his clothes from earlier, washed, dried and folded for the next time he would need them, Eska following behind with the same and both of them wearing the nightwear they had packed before the nightmare of the plague started. Until just then, Korra hadn't witnessed them having the chance to use them.

"It appears," Eska continued for her twin, brushing by the zombie—an Earthbender, she'd found when he'd stumbled around after tripping over his own feet earlier and causing a minor quake that made a gurgling noise in the back of her throat both twins hoped was a giggle—that had fed them and was currently gnawing off the back leg of the Tiger-Mule, "That Naga befriended a zombie Fire Ferret and brought us to the only nice undead in the entire city."

Naga thumped her tail at Korra's expression.

_4.

The two posters in Korra's hands were ragged and half-faded from the elements that occasionally banged in through the building _(doors were wide open along with the windows, years where championships were held from the looks of trophies knocked over in display cases near the entrance ways numbered in dozens) _but she could still read them and, though a little weirded out by the whole thing, she was excited and held them up in front of the Firebender zombie and the female zombie that interacted with her more than her cousins (and could run a lot faster than they could, so thank spirits she was friendly). Which would seem more amusing if she wasn't already brimming to the top with energy only a baby Chickadee-Chihuahua should be able to exhibit.

"You're Mako, Captain of the Fire Ferret probending team and Asami Sato of Future Industries! You're both, like, famous! I've always wanted to meet you—well, at least you, Mako; but it's nice to meet you, Asami, too. Like, really."

As far as she knew from traveling with the twins, zombies did not show emotion beyond hunger and homicidal rage or, maybe, a limp expression of half-open eyes, drooling mouth and lack of ability to blush because their blood was drained around their feet and belly, but Korra was surprised everyday that these three zombies seemed to be trying to move beyond that. Asami actually smiled meekly as a facial default and gave little giggles and deeper expressions closer to sorrow if the situation was right; Mako seemed to forever be stuck frowning or baring his teeth or stoic, but, on occasion, he gave very light grunts that bordered on formed words trying to rise from broken pieces.

Asami gave a deeper smile as she continued playing with the record player she had dug up from rubble weeks earlier, moving the needle back and forth against the one record Korra had found for her that wasn't broken to pieces _(the words that could best be picked out of the scratches over the vinyl replaying "You found me just in time..." over and over)_ when she seemed bored. She looked at her picture on the poster, but didn't react much.

Mako actually seemed... well, for lack of a better word, flustered. Korra's words seemed to hit him and make him blink away a little of the haze that seemed to encompass all of the zombies. His eyes blinked a couple of times and he coughed deep in the back of his throat, scratching the back of his head softly, like he couldn't even get a grip on his hair he was so absent of mind.

Then, a surprise.

"M... M-Ma...ko... M-Ma-Ma-k-k-ko... Mako?"

One of his fingers pointed at his face, an obvious indicator of what Korra suspected soon after they had started staying with the zombies—that they didn't know their names. Didn't really seem to know anything except when it came to their bending or hunting and foraging and staying out of the way of other zombies because they were helluva lot nicer and less aggressive than most of the ones still wandering the city looking for living people to eat instead of just animals.

Korra almost clapped her hands and jumped up and down, but restrained herself; she didn't want the moment to end just because she was actually having a real conversation with one of the zombies that kept her warm at night with the fire still inside him and gave her food and walked with her when she investigated the city.

"Yes! You're Mako," she nodded helpfully, pointing over to the other zombie that had finally stopped with the record player and was completely interested in the conversation, "And that's Asami."

Mako tried mimicking the Avatar, looking at and pointing to the female zombie, "A-sa-mi-i-i...Asa-mi... Asami?"

The brunette nonbender pointed a slightly broken nailed finger at her chest, much more clearly stating, "Asami?"

Without really thinking about it—or being bitten if the two were freaked out—Korra pulled them both into a hug and squealed, picking them up like a platypus-bear and trotted back out to where the main arena used to be, calling for her cousins and the Earthbender zombie—Bolin.

The posters fluttered to the floor effortlessly, one resting atop the other upon the footprints left as Korra banged around being happier than she had been in a while.

_5.

The bones that were almost visible through Bolin's skin _(both twins couldn't help thinking that was a nice name, even if the zombie had a little trouble remembering that the word was actually his name and afterward he couldn't stop chirping it like a parrot-kitten with the twins, bouncing on the balls of his feet and exasperating his older brother when he did it while hunting)_ as he stood in front of the two North Water Tribe siblings, Eska on her hands and knees with the new machete Korra had brought to their shelter after Mako and Asami had shown her to the city pool _(chlorine wasn't to her liking, but a group of humans that used to be holed up there left a small stockpile of food and weapons in case another living person needed them; directions etched into the tiled walls that Air Temple Island was also a refuge and to go there if they could find a way to do it safely)_ held tightly in her hands and Desna crouched low next to her with a broken off piece of a spear.

All the weeks they had been staying with the Fire Ferret group _(Korra coined it and the twins had rolled their eyes the first few days, but it was either that or Team Avatar and they both mentally acknowledged that their cousin didn't need any more inflation to her ego)_ they had never once seen their zombies get angry at them—or aggressive in any way short of when they went hunting together and they took down another Tiger-Mule or even Turkey-Peacocks and Giant Giraffe-Squirrels—and now, stuck in an alley closed off by building debris with nowhere to go, surrounded by another trio _(Eska remembered Bolin hiding her in a trashcan before the two of them had run into these particular zombies once before; all of them were benders and were wearing what once must have been clothing made of very fine silks and leather but had been worn down from their situation and Bolin kept his head down when they'd seen him and approached him with teeth visibly threatening and the leader—a Waterbender, seeing as blood that seeped from his feet and hands followed after him like his luggage, his hair limp but with traces of gel from perhaps months earlier and the look of a member of Froggy Swamp to him that had been toned into what was left of his personal chi—sniffing him, growling lowly, and knocking assertively against Bolin's shoulder before leaving the Earthbender alone) _of zombies that seemed ready and happy to try and pull the twins apart and swallow them whole, they were seeing him on offensive.

His muscled arms were outstretched wide, the flesh on him _(odd, Desna hadn't noticed, but they seemed thicker than the last time he had seen Bolin without a shirt, corded and sturdy instead of just rotting meat trapped in scabbed and torn skin) _roiling as he opened his mouth wide and showed the impressive set of sharps in his mouth that they didn't see unless he was eating and became almost relieved when he gave a roar both deep and projective_(a Gorilla-Jaguar could not compare, as far as both the twins were concerned)_ and stomped one strong leg down to the earth, spires rising as a result and pushing the advancing zombies back, back, back out of the alley and into the street they had come from, "Tahno... Ming... Shaozu... Wolf-Wolf-Wolf-ba-ba... Wolfbats... Leave!"

When their names were said, the three zombies had gotten off the ground from where they had fallen and been ready, arms swaying and nails ready to descend on the lone Earthbender, but at the sounds that were familiar to what was left of their minds, they gave pause. Fire from the sandy haired one's left fist popped once like fizzing sparklers at a Celebration of the spirits in the North and South Poles; the tallest of the lot opened and closed both hands tightly and some of the light posts further along the streets rattled with glass being spat down to shatter against trash debris and pebbles that once might have belonged in a decorative garden; the Waterbender's nails dug into his own palms with the drops of his almost black blood pooling in-between his digits and freezing into little beads of ice.

Bolin grumbled something distorted without any real meaning when they didn't start moving again right away and turned back to the twins, not showing his back completely to the perceived enemies but needing to half let his guard down to lightly take both Desna and Eska's arms, pulling them into a standing position and then keeping them behind him as they moved into more daylight like an alpha Polar Bear-Wolf going out into a dangerous area before his mates or cubs; his body like a wall between the twins and being turned into dead eyed slabs of meat.

Eska moved her machete back into her leather sheath hooked in her belt and clutched Bolin's arm with both hands, her cheek brushing the skin along his right shoulderblade as they edged around these "Wolfbats" that were still not moving away, but also weren't moving to attack again, either. Desna kept his broken spear piece tight in his hand, arm slightly outstretched to stab any of them in the neck and head if they did move, but while he let Bolin's free hand stay free to clench and thrust for a more effective Earthbender stance and attack, his pointer finger and thumb hooked into the waist sash around Bolin's pants, saying silently, _'I'm not leaving you or my sister.'_

They made it back to the arena together fifteen minutes later. None of the Wolfbats had tried to attack or follow them and the minute the twins and Bolin closed the doors and could let out a breath of relief, neither Eska or Desna hesitated to swamp Bolin in their arms, whispering their gratitude and almost crying when Pabu scurried in and climbed up Bolin. The ferret licked all of them happily, smelling their distress and easing it almost as much as Bolin himself when he hugged the two back in his huge, warm arms.  
>_6.<p>

Air Temple Island wasn't as full of life as Korra and her cousins would have hoped, but it was better than nothing.

Granted, that collection of better than nothing included Airbenders that were way too mellow or concerned across the board, gang members that had swam out of the city from the docks almost the same hour that shit started to go down, and a fair amount of royalty here and there that all bowed to Korra and the twins the minute they found out who they were and _**ALL**_ of them wanted to set Dead Team Avatar _("Ow! Eska, what was that for? Ow! Desna!") _on fire when they saw them, but it was... nice.

It appeared that one of the gang members of the Triple Threat Traid that had taken up the job of water messenger and healer actually knew the boys and seemed pleased enough to see them walking and talking and not trying to eat anyone to help convince Tenzin and the others to let them stay _(even if that meant that they still weren't trusted to go inside the temples and were left to wander around only if Korra, the twins or Naga were with them)_. He even laughed a little when he tried to ruffle Mako and Bolin's hair and he claimed that they did the exact thing they used to do in the old days when he tried that; Mako flicked fire out along his tongue to ward the man away with the threat he'd get his face burnt if he tried again and while Bolin let Shin _("Used to be Shady but old man Tenzin said 'Not if you want to stay here,' so that got dropped. You can call me Shady Shin if you'd like, though my fine little lady." Korra swerved out from where he tried to rub her shoulder and put herself between Mako and Asami—he new safety zone) _do his ruffling, but caused a little movement of the earth under the man's feet that knocked him on his rear.

Despite the open doors and open arms, the Water Tribe family secretly slept outside that night with their friends. And the night after that. And the night after that. Always getting up at first light to take showers and get signs of their nightly activities out of their clothes and hair, helping the Air family prepare breakfast if they got caught wandering around before anyone else.

It kept happening until one morning Pema and Kya went to wake the three up from their beds for an early breakfast, with good news that Master Katara and Lord Zuko were finding a solution for the plague at the spirit portals at the Poles and the Earth Kingdom, and found the beds and covers untouched, but with the pillows missing along with the orange and yellow drapes from Korra's bedroom window.

There was no sign of a struggle, so the two went looking for them quietly so the others wouldn't worry. Traipsing through the topiary and flower gardens, the meditation gazebos that really needed painting but that the twins liked to use for reflexion with the universe and trying to get in contact with the spirits or tone down their headaches from listening to their cousin argue with the pompous windbag Tarrlok and his broody brother Noatak about how they might try healing the zombies instead of just killing them on sight. Stepping over the baby rivers Kya had woven around the temple as a precaution if they were attacked at night and out of sheer boredom.

When they walked into the grasslands near the back of the island where nobody really went because it was dry and always a little colder because high trees kept it covered in shade all the time, they found the three they were looking for, and the others besides, in a most adorable position.

All clustered together in a ring outside of a dead fire pit. Naga and Pabu were the center, the twins asleep to her left with Bolin between them and Korra to Naga's right, snuggled between Mako and Asami. The stolen pillows were their shared bedding and the drapes were the blankets.

Pema and Kya both left them to go and bully Tenzin and the others into letting the zombies sleep inside the temple the next evening.  
>_7.<p>

_Brush. Brush. Brush._

"Mmm, that's nice..."

_Brush. Brush. Glide._

"Hm, yes it is. Your hair's so soft, Korra."

_Brush. Brush—Yank! Smooth. Brush._

"It's because she doesn't use chemical enhanced shampoo. That's what I read is the reason."

_Smooth. Brush. Inhale. Exhale._

"Mako, it's not chemical if it says herbal on the side of the bottle."

"That's only what they want you to think. There's a lot of swindlers out there that lie all the time in merchandising and giving a hook to make people buy all that crap."

A giggle, soft and warm and not hindered by blood in the mouth and gangrene at all, hummed into Korra's shoulder as the hairbrush she and Asami shared was set on the bed covers, "Is that why you only use soap for your hair?"

"Why would I need anything else?"

Tan arms moved from under her pillow and wrapped around the lover on either side of Korra, her thumbs smoothing in semi-circles over the skin on both of them that had been clean and clear for almost two months. Some of the baby down hair on Mako's arm bristled with goosebumbs at the contact and Asami's warmed up immediately at the touch.

Korra kept her eyes closed and focused on the warmth they had all accumulated under the covers of their shared bed in the Probending arena's attic, Naga asleep at the end of the bed with Pabu snuggled into the droopy skin between her neck and shoulders; Mako and Asami's feet coming to hook and tangle with hers—a little chilly, but that was because it was morning and naturally cold. The girls' shared Firebender boyfriend's skin would heat them both up soon enough.

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><p><em>One, two, three. Tap. One, two, three. Tap.<em>

"Bolin," Desna chuckled against his pillow—something a year ago he never would have done because waking him up so early was almost blasphemous and he and his sister used to be almost incapable of laughing without it coming out disfigured and forced—while trying to keep his eyes closed in spite of Bolin's giant left hand tapping each of his fingers with Desna's in a most pleasant and fascinating way, "It is too early for this. It's our day to sleep in, remember?"

_Tap. Tap-tap-tap. Tap._

"Sorry, but your hands are cold," the bigger young man replied sheepishly, Eska still asleep, but in a different position from her brother on the other side of Bolin with his arm around her shoulder, her forehead pressed above his ribcage and hands clinging to his hip so she was safely under the covers and not at risk of getting even a little chilled with the heat rolling off of Bolin.

Desna started to reply, changing his position to almost mirror his sister, but felt Bolin move his hand to his lips and blow warm air onto his fingertips and knuckles.

"You can go back to sleep now," Bolin whispered, gently pecking Desna's open palm and then tilting to do the same to the corner of his eye, repeating the affection with Eska and settling back down in his own little dent in the bed.

Desna opened one eye to peek over at Bolin, and did not even consider on hesitating to lift his head and lay a kiss on their Earthbender's neck, then cheek, then the side of his mouth, returning to his space next to Bolin and knowing as twins just know, that from her spot, Eska bumped her nose against Bolin's warm skin as a reply to his own kiss.

Neither of them had to open their eyes to know Bolin smiled when he hugged them a little closer to the heart beating in-between his shoulders. Their hearts beat in almost a quiet happiness with his own.


End file.
